Redemption Church – RedemptionPlano.com

Welcome to Redemption Church of Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I want to thank you for choosing to worship the Lord today while there is playoff football happening.

I will be mindful of your time.

Can You Keep a Secret?

We are in the 3rd week of this series – Can You Keep a Secret.

In Matthew chapter 6, right in the middle of the sermon on the mount, Jesus talks to us about secrets. 3 times in Matthew 6 Jesus speaks directly about things done in secret.

Jesus has taught us about giving in secret and praying in secret.

Today I want you to turn to Matthew 6:16-18 WHERE Jesus instructs us to fast in secret.

Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV) 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

What is a Fast?

 

Fast?

-to abstain from nourishment (food/drink)
-Used 21 times in OT (ṣûm)
-Used 21 times in NT (nēsteuō)

Fasting means to do without the things that nourish your body.

Fasting is a SPIRITUAL EXERCISE that intersects with a NATURAL CONDITION.

It is all too easy for our spirituality to only exist in an ethereal and intangible state. For many, their Christian faith may not exist beyond words that came out of their mouth and the sound waves dissipated into nothing.

Our Christian life must be both SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL. Why?
Because our Christ is both SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL.

Your worship must be both SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL. That is why it is not ok for you to just sit in a worship service, you must take part in the PHYSICAL and when you do I promise you that you will experience the SPIRITUAL.

What we offer to God in the PHYSICAL is very much SPIRITUAL.

Jesus teaches this same concept when he talks about your TREASURE and HEART occupying the same place. He says this later in Matthew 6:21.

Matthew 6:21 (NIV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Your TREASURE is something physical. Gold, dollar bills, bitcoin…

Your HEART is something spiritual.

One chapter earlier in the sermon on the mount Jesus says…

Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Once again we see the PHYSICAL (hunger & thirst) intersecting with something SPIRITUAL (Righteousness).

Jesus does not discount the SPIRITUAL or the PHYSICAL. Jesus instead teaches the power of bringing your NATURAL into contact with His SUPERNATURAL.

Have you been discounting the Physical or the Spiritual?

Jesus, before we dismiss today, we want to do something PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL for you. Lord let our physical intersect with your Holy Spirit.

In Fasting we have a PHYSICAL CONDITION – hunger & thirst.
This PHYSICAL intersects with the SPIRITUAL when we fast unto the Lord.

Fasting is abstaining from being fed through our natural appetite.

*Matthew 6:16 (NIV) 16 “When you fast…”

Who knows my sermon point?

Not IF, but WHEN

Jesus teaches in Matthew 6, WHEN not IF.

When you give…
When you pray…
When you fast…

Jesus expects his followers to fast. Those that believe in Jesus and hold onto the teachings of Jesus, should fast.

In Scripture we many examples of fasting…
Kings…
Priests…
Individuals…
Prophets…
Nations…

We see Jesus fast.
We see His disciples fast.

We see people fast individually and we see people fast corporately.

Matthew 6:16 (NIV) “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

DO NOT FAST FOR SHOW. Being scene is operating in the physical… we want something more than the physical!  We want the invisible supernatural power of a relationship with God.

If you fast for a show you will never intersect with the SPIRITUAL, you will only receive a miserly, cheap, and ineffective physical reward.

In this case there were people who were trying to look somber and troubled so that others would know they were fasting.

Jesus says DO NOT DO THIS!

Matthew 6:17(NIV) But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

Jesus says to appear as one who is not fasting. Clean yourself up. Wipe tears away. Do not put your fasting on display for others.

Matthew 6:18 (NIV) so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus says “don’t do it to be seen by people.” Jesus says “Your Father sees what is done is secret and He will reward you.”

Can You Keep a Secret?

Will you fast in secret?
Will you make an effort in the physical to intersect with the SPIRITUAL?

Musicians

As our Worship team comes to lead us, I want you to make up your mind that you are going to intersect with the Spiritual power of God.

Do you have an appetite for the Spiritual power of God?

 

If you lack an appetite it might be because you are feasting on other things.

Have you been feasting on entertainment…  Try fasting.
Have you been feasting on greed and materialism… Try fasting.
Vanity & pride…
 

I believe God is dealing with your hearts about what you have been feasting upon.

In order to intersect with the SPIRITUAL you must  you must humble the physical and make it yield to the things of God.

The stomach is wonderful servant, but a terrible master. – Derek Prince

Your stomach, the things you have an appetite for… you cannot allow those things to be your master.

Jesus you are my master.

More of Jesus, less of everything else.

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES…

Pride v Humility

 

Humble with fasting

 

James 4:6 Grace to the humble

 

The stomach is wonderful servant, but a terrible master. – Derek Prince

 

 

Afflict/humble soul = fast

 

Acts 13
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.

3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,

 

Feast Fast

Hunger